Chapter 295: Sacred Marriage Contract

On the west side of the plaza, at the entrance of the Temple.

Aipusi gazed at the heads constantly popping up within the surging crowd, recalling the many experiences since he took over the Territory, and felt deeply moved.

"Ahem—"

Aipusi first tested it to ensure the spell amplification was working normally; as for the spell projection, his eyes were not yet blind, and there were projections of the Temple entrance on the north, south, and east sides of the plaza.

"People of the Savile Territory, the path of the arcane is long and distant. I have decided to set aside all worldly matters and focus on the domain of Magic. Here, I solemnly announce that Niya—my daughter—will officially take over the Territory and become the fourth-generation Lord of the Savile Territory."

The news was not abrupt; Niya had long been determined as the successor to the Territory, and with Niya having been in charge of the recent development of the Green Pearl Forest, the residents did not have any unusual reaction, nor could they have had any.

"Lord Niya!"

Amidst a shout that one could not tell if it was from a plant or a genuine outburst of emotion, the mood of the entire plaza was stirred up.

And when the new Lord Niya and the Temple Bishop Anbulier announced that the Holy Water distribution activity would be moved up, even more fervent emotions erupted.

The cheers surged toward the clouds, as if even the clouds were about to be shaken apart, and this highly consistent, intense emotional fluctuation even shook the Magic Net, causing the Spellcasters to be moved as well.

……

"The Holy Water Bestowal Ceremony, now begins!"

Soon, a group of resident representatives were brought to the Temple entrance, quietly waiting for the Lord and the Bishop to bestow the Holy Water.

Xia Duo followed behind Niya in a numb state throughout the process, occasionally handing Niya a small bottle of Holy Water for her to pass to the resident representatives, but more often than not, he was receiving the baptism of gazes from a crowd of Spellcasters and countless ordinary people.

Curiosity, scrutiny—what is this person doing, how can he distribute Holy Water together with the Lord and the Bishop?

In the past, when the Lord and the Bishop distributed Holy Water, there were no attendants; they would personally take small bottles of Holy Water from the Holy Water box behind them time and time again, and then personally distribute them to the residents.

This time, with the addition of Xia Duo, it seemed much stranger; Bishop Anbulier went to fetch the Holy Water himself, while Niya had it passed to her by Xia Duo.

However, the crowd's confusion did not last long; when the resident representatives had finished receiving theirs, Bishop Anbulier immediately announced the start of the wedding.

"Today, the Lord of Radiance grants us longer sunlight. On this glorious holy day, Lord Niya and Mage Xia Duo will enter into a marriage contract under the gaze of the Lord of Radiance, becoming one from this day forward."

As soon as the words fell, a brief silence appeared in the Central Plaza, but what followed was even more intense cheering, with countless residents shouting the names of Niya and Xia Duo.

Only the members of the Tower of Time looked at one another, completely unaware of what had happened.

Indeed, too many things had happened today.

First, the Tower of Time was summoned away and could not return, then the handover of the Territory Lord and the Tower Master of the Tower of Time, and now Niya was suddenly entering into a marriage contract with Xia Duo.

This was truly too sudden, somewhat beyond their imagination.

"It's actually Xia Duo?!"

"Aidelian, I heard your younger brother is very familiar with Xia Duo?"

"Jianaer, you are more familiar with Xia Duo, and you are both apprentices of Lord Niya; did you know about this beforehand?"

Invisible magic communications passed back and forth between the Mages, and they were discussing this matter intensely.

However, this matter ultimately had little to do with them; as long as their Permission Level and shares in the Tower of Time were not affected, they had no need to object.

As for who Xia Duo was, they did not care at all.

Even some who were familiar with Xia Duo, such as Aidelian, Jianaer, He Sai, and others, were more pleased to see this; of course, to say there was absolutely no envy or jealousy would be unlikely.

But no matter what the people of the Tower of Time thought, the wedding continued.

……

Bishop Anbulier stood before Xia Duo and Niya, a mass of pure white radiance appearing in his hand, and said with a solemn expression: "Under the gaze of the Lord of Radiance, Niya, Xia Duo, do you confirm that you wish to enter into a Sacred Contract of marriage?"

"Confirmed!" Niya grabbed Xia Duo's hand, staring tightly at the husband she had chosen, and said solemnly.

Xia Duo could feel Niya's hand trembling slightly; although there was no coercion in her gaze, there was no deep affection either, but Xia Duo knew that if he refused at this moment, heaven knows what would happen.

Fortunately, he had already passed his own psychological hurdle, otherwise he would really be worried about whether Niya would tear him apart if the contract could not be reached in a moment.

"Confirmed." Xia Duo glanced at Niya and said calmly.

Hum—

After receiving the affirmative answer, the pure white radiance in Bishop Anbulier's hand instantly expanded, and Xia Duo instantly felt an orderly, ruthless will envelop him.

Afterwards, both parties agreed on the content of the contract: "We voluntarily enter into a marriage contract, and voluntarily fulfill the responsibilities and obligations bestowed by the marriage contract: do not harm each other, support each other, live together, and act in unison against outsiders!"

A typical template for a union of interests between Spellcasters, similar to a modern marriage contract on Earth, except that here, one could judge whether both parties were sincere and whether there was any deception when the contract was initially signed.

Moreover, if one party were to betray the marriage contract in the future, they would also be on the blacklist of the Lord of Radiance. (There is no harm, but it is highly likely to result in social death; after all, even bad people like good people a little more.)

This marriage contract was essentially still a Sacred Contract of the Lord of Radiance, just a paperless contract, and being presided over by the Temple Bishop himself made it appear more solemn.

Under normal circumstances, a Sacred Contract is only entered into under very formal situations; Xia Duo had also seen similar rituals during his last trip to the Projection Plane.

It was just that when Elves enter into a marriage contract, besides relying on the gods, there is another option, which is to have it presided over by an Elf Mage; the officiant would cast a type of Contract Magic, which has more functions than a Sacred Contract.

Depending on the Spellcasting level of the officiant, this type of Contract Magic might also have functions such as spousal positioning, ability sharing, lifespan balancing, fertility guarantees, and breach countermeasures.

When Xia Duo was in the Projection Plane, he often wanted to ask the parents of Gelada next door a question: is it because of Contract Magic that Elf couples can keep from cheating for hundreds of years?

However, asking this question would easily get one hammered, so this question remained in his mind; unless one is truly an Elf, it is hard to understand the true feelings of an Elf.

……

Soon.

The sacred radiance of the Lord of Radiance gradually contracted, finally returning to Bishop Anbulier's hand until it eventually dissipated, and the Bishop solemnly announced to everyone:

"With the Lord of Radiance as witness, the Sacred Contract is established!"

Boom—

The entire plaza erupted in enthusiastic cheers once again, and projections of Xia Duo and Niya appeared in various locations in the plaza, with countless people shouting their names—

"Lord Niya, Mage Xia Duo!"

"Lord Niya, Mage Xia Duo!"

……